Series Discussion: Round 1 (Caps vs Flyers) 2016 Playoffs (times and dates included)

[Sword]

Some teams just take more time to get going. Plus, they might not even play the Pens in round 2, Isles might just beat the Panthers.

 

[twabby]

twabby, are you a novice to caps hockey? last season when they blew a 3 games to 1 lead, it was not the first time. for this franchise its the rule that they blow these leads, not the exception.

the caps have never had a 3 games to 0 lead in a 7 game series and so they have never blown one. but they do lose more series were they hold a two game lead than they win.

its a bad deal to blow a 3-1 lead but for the rest of the teams in 7 game series pro sports its a rare thing. for the capitals its regular fair. so, get off your high horse.

they did it when Ov and Backstrom were new when hoping that the new troops would not carry over the tradition. they did. they did it last year when many hoped an experienced coach would not carry over the tradition. now they are hoping there's no way the tradition coopts Justin Williams, yet he is the freaking goat in that last game.

insufferable is the Washington Capitals. If they win g6 or 7 I will watch game 1 of round 2. but ive seen all the rest of these chokes that are too numerous to name. I don't need to see any more.

Get yer boy Kuzy to score a couple in g6 and we can move on. right now he appears to be the player having the hardest time catching his breath right now.

Get off my high horse? That's rich coming from tx "I know what goes on in the locker room" pd.

All I'm saying is that you and many others here who actually think those past failures have anything to do with the 2015-16 Capitals are crazy. The fact is the Caps are up 3-2 against a pretty good opponent and are completely outplaying them. That bodes well for Game 6 and 7 if needed. Last year's team played coin flip hockey and lost the flips in the second round. This year's team is outplaying the Flyers and didn't get the breaks in Game 5. It happens, big deal.

 

[Portable Mink]

the fact the penguins are going to close out their series before us is not a good feeling.

 

[NoMoreChoking]

Even if we do move on. Does anyone honestly feel good about the Pens matchup?

 

[tycoonheart]

Even if we do move on. Does anyone honestly feel good about the Pens matchup?

As crappy as our offense is, our D is that good. We can slow them down.

 

[Portable Mink]

if we win game 6 then yes i still feel confident because its a new series and we have a better team.

whether that translates to winning is a different issue.

 

[SpinningEdge]

I think we need to switch up some lines.

Ovi - Kuzy - Oshie
Burro - Backstrom - Williams
Chimera - Johansson - Richards
Winnik - Beagle - Wilson

Obviously we need to get the top 6 going. Kuzy has been okay, but has overskated with the puck and Williams/Burro can't seem to get open. Putting him w/ Ovi will open him up a little bit more with more space.

 

[SpinningEdge]

if we win game 6 then yes i still feel confident because its a new series and we have a better team.

whether that translates to winning is a different issue.

Confidence?!!!!??!

Don't you know life as a Caps fan??

Hope for the best.

Expect the worst.

 

[illpucks]

the fact the penguins are going to close out their series before us is not a good feeling.

Even if we do move on. Does anyone honestly feel good about the Pens matchup?

Depends. Caps need to be dominant in Game 6. And maybe they can hang with the Pens. But they need Orpik back and need Kuz's line to wake up.

Caps playing 1 extra game doesn't matter. Caps need adversity. They will have it if they win game 6 convincingly.

 

[peterthegreat12]

Hope for the best and expect the worst. The Caps fan mantra. :-/

 

[SpinningEdge]

We need to figure out lines 2-4.

Second line has been bad. Williams is a team worse in +/-. Kuzy has one point and that was off a fluky bounce/lay up goal. Burro is scoreless in 5 games yet being on the top 6.

Bottom 6 have a lot of no shows too. Chimera has been bad. Richards has done zilch offensively. Wilson hasn't done anything as usual. Winnik has been disappointing offensively too.

Defense is fine. Everyone seems to be doign a great job defensively.... but when you play the way the Caps are (super two way and tight defensively), It's going to be low scoring games b/c we have a defensive minded system first.

That's Trotz hockey. Unless we get PP's - we rely on pretty even 5v5 play against our opponents, and when that happens you get coin toss games like we've had past two games.

Granted, we're still a far better team, but I think Caps need to let loose a little bit and be in attack mode. When we play ahead of course we can play the same way we have this series defensively.... Issue is we haven't gotten the first goal past couple games.

I wouldn't mind seeing Caps playing a bit more risky in the early going and creating scoring chances. We are such a different team when we score first. Philly's game plan is obviously play super tight defensively and super simple and stay out of the box. Perimeter shots, etc aren't going to beat Neuvy. He's on right now.

Caps need to do all they can to get first goal. If that happens Philly needs to start cheating, and I think we'll be too good for them if that happens.

 

[bWo*]

we should try those early season lines again that kept scoring. Why does Trotz not want to even mix the lines up a little to try to spark something?

 

[Raikkonen]

we should try those early season lines again that kept scoring. Why does Trotz not want to even mix the lines up a little to try to spark something?

Maybe the practice is optional to mask new lines.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

With the way he has played, I think Trotz should promote MJ to the top 6 and demote Bura. Roll with the hot hand.

 

[NoMoreChoking]

With the way he has played, I think Trotz should promote MJ to the top 6 and demote Bura. Roll with the hot hand.

I agree. Bura has been absolute trash this series. So has Kuzy, Williams, Chimmer, Oshie, Backstrom, Wilson...

 

[bWo*]

the caps are making me feel bipolar today. feel optomistic, then pessimistic then optomistic again, and on and on

 

[illpucks]

I agree. Bura has been absolute trash this series. So has Kuzy, Williams, Chimmer, Oshie, Backstrom, Wilson...

Game 5 was shades of Game 7 vs NYR last season. Ovechkin was firing but rest of team was crap.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

the caps are making me feel bipolar today. feel optomistic, then pessimistic then optomistic again, and on and on

It's just today? For me, it has been this way since the day I became a Caps fan. Some days I look at the team and I see a legitimate contender, some other days, I see a team that will yet again blow a series lead in the first two rounds.

We're the St. Louis Blues of the Eastern conference.

 

[Portable Mink]

Confidence?!!!!??!

Don't you know life as a Caps fan??

Hope for the best.

Expect the worst.

yes. i painfully know life as a caps fan.
break my heart every year.

 

[Portable Mink]

Ovi - Backy - Oshie
Bura - Kuzy - Williams
Chimmer - Mojo - Wilson
Winnik - Beagle - Richards

that gives us the best chance to score goals. And goals is what we need.

 

[John Price]

Boys seem to be aware they need more traffic in front of the net and need to crash the net more. But here is the issue

Game 4 - played only the third
Game 5 - played well all game
Game 6 - ?

Need to put up those same amount of shots and generate ****ing traffic. I really don't see this being a blowout. I'm very scared of Neuvirth because he's come in and allowed one goal in two games. He was always a good goalie. He didn't see time because he got hurt and Mason "led" their late surge. So if we win it's probably 1-0 or 2-1. It's not going to be easy. But again these boys need to step it up and put the pedal to the medal and put the dagger in if they want to win a cup. If they let Neuvirth dominate them for 4 straight they don't deserve ****.

This is a good team. We all know that. They need to execute. Because the time for excuses is over. It's time to put up or shut up. They spent 82 games showing they were the best. Go out there and prove it tomorrow afternoon. Don't commit dumb penalties. Generate traffic. Send a message early with a shot barrage. If this team can't beat a Flyers team that puts up 10 or so shots per game...they don't deserve to win anything. Period.

 

[John Price]

Some teams just take more time to get going. Plus, they might not even play the Pens in round 2, Isles might just beat the Panthers.

Then they'd face a well rested Lightning team different from the ones we saw at Verizon Center earlier this year.

Nobody is a cakewalk anymore and this team has to realize they're not entitled to anything. They haven't won crap. That's why 15 or 13 or whatever they do on their hats is stupid. Because the main goal is to get 4 wins. The historical ISSUE with this team has been getting that 4th win. This team blew 10 3-1 leads over the course of playoff history because they couldn't get that 4th win. So just put 4 on the top of their damn hats. Because that's the number that matters. Win tomorrow. Go out there and play whoever we play. Win four against them. Don't think about the big picture. Because this is hockey. And you never know when you might face a situation like Game 5 when you're the better team on the ice but lose because a puck flies off Chorney's skate.

Even if we do move on. Does anyone honestly feel good about the Pens matchup?

The argument could be made that the Penguins have been the best team in hockey since the ASB. Whereas the Capitals set the league on fire early and closed everything up early and thus had nothing to play for and turned their switch "off".

In fact, the Penguins were the only team to have a winning record against Washington over the course of the regular season (3-2). I would be terrified playing them. They're on fire right now and Malkin is back.

 

[txpd]

Get off my high horse? That's rich coming from tx "I know what goes on in the locker room" pd.

All I'm saying is that you and many others here who actually think those past failures have anything to do with the 2015-16 Capitals are crazy. The fact is the Caps are up 3-2 against a pretty good opponent and are completely outplaying them. That bodes well for Game 6 and 7 if needed. Last year's team played coin flip hockey and lost the flips in the second round. This year's team is outplaying the Flyers and didn't get the breaks in Game 5. It happens, big deal.

What goes on in the locker room I know purely from what is reported in the media. Orpik is a leader and think most people know that.

Crazy? Come, Twabby. These players are human. With every choke this franchise suffers, the weight of that history gets heavier. Its an embarrassment. Its a reputation creator. You must know that Ovechkin carries that reputation already and has for a number of years that he is a choker. You don't think that being faced with another choke doesn't effect him? You don't think that the increasingly heavy questioning on the subjest doesn't effect him and the rest of these players?

Maybe my count is wrong, but have these players Ovechkin and Backstrom not already blown two game series leads 3 times? Penguins, Canadiens, and Rangers?

All the things that you mention about game 5 are true. They also happened in game 6 and 7 v the Canadiens. Where you paying attention to NHL hockey when the Caps had the best record in the league and blew a 3 games to 1 lead to Montreal where they outshot the Habs by ridiculous margins and couldn't score and lost the games and the series?

I am sure you can make a case that the Caps blowing a 3-1 lead to the Islanders and losing the epic 5 overtime game has no effect on Ovechkin. Maybe it didn't. Failing to it 3 times in his career already certainly does.

edit: recall at all what happened to Ovechkin after the Montreal debacle? here's hoping they win tomorrow

 

[Corby78]

Then they'd face a well rested Lightning team different from the ones we saw at Verizon Center earlier this year.

Nobody is a cakewalk anymore and this team has to realize they're not entitled to anything. They haven't won crap. That's why 15 or 13 or whatever they do on their hats is stupid. Because the main goal is to get 4 wins. The historical ISSUE with this team has been getting that 4th win. This team blew 10 3-1 leads over the course of playoff history because they couldn't get that 4th win. So just put 4 on the top of their damn hats. Because that's the number that matters. Win tomorrow. Go out there and play whoever we play. Win four against them. Don't think about the big picture. Because this is hockey. And you never know when you might face a situation like Game 5 when you're the better team on the ice but lose because a puck flies off Chorney's skate.

Nail meet head! This clubs usually plays well until it's an elimination game and then can't get it done. I would be scared to actuall see what our record is in close out games. I'm sure it's real real bad. I do think if the play like they did in game 5 the flyers aren't going to be able to win 2 more. My fear is with confidence they will take the play to us here on out.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

In fact, the Penguins were the only team to have a winning record against Washington over the course of the regular season (3-2). I would be terrified playing them. They're on fire right now and Malkin is back.

Not true. Off the top of my head, the Stars and the Sharks also had winning records against the Caps. Regular season stuff doesn't matter anymore, and they're still the hottest team in the league anyway.